New entry-spec engine makes Britain’s cheapest SUV even cheaper

Dacia has announced a new base-spec engine for its Duster, bringing the price of the country’s cheapest SUV down to just £9,495 on the road.

The Renault subsidiary’s new powerplant is a 1.6-litre petrol engine with 113bhp. Offered in both two- and four-wheel-drive variants, the new Euro 6-compliant engine is more powerful and more fuel-efficient than the old 104bhp 1.6 it replaces.

In the more efficient front-wheel-drive versions, the new powerplant is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox which allows it to return 44.1mpg and emit 145g of CO2 per kilometre – 20g/km less than its predecessor. Four-wheel-drive variants are less economical despite their six-speed transmissions, but the improvement over the old model is even more marked. CO2 emissions have plummeted from 185 to 155g/km, cutting road tax by a whopping £170, while fuel economy has been upped by 6.2mpg to 41.5mpg.

Thanks to the power increase afforded by the new engine, the entry-level Duster is now faster. The sprint from 0-62mph has been cut from 11.5 seconds to 11.0 seconds for two-wheel-drive cars and four-wheel-drive examples now manage the benchmark dash in 12 seconds dead – a 0.8-second improvement.

The new engine is available now on the Access and Ambience trim levels, which start from £9,495 and £10,495 respectively.